Unlike The Rest
by Storm0
Summary: A Pertemis AU but this one doesn't involve any evil Annabeth, Hestia or Chaos adopting him and Guardian of the Hunt. Set after The Battle of the Labyrinth, it shows how Artemis and Percy's relationship develops with the war going on as well.
1. Chapter 1

**This was requested by a friend. A Pertemis fanfic where Annabeth is still a nice person since we rarely see any of those and people have begun to hate Annabeth (me included). I'm writing this from what I remember when I read the books two years ago so don't kill me. Also, this is my first attempt at an actual story.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson**

 _Chapter 1_

"Percy, are you sure you want to do this?" Annabeth asked for the tenth time as we travelled through the cruel and dark Underworld so I could bathe in the river Styx. I get she was worried but that was a little too much.

"Yes, Annabeth, I have to, it's the only way we can beat Lu-Kronos" I replied, hastily trying to cover my slip-up.

"But what if you don't come back... what would I do?" Annabeth said mumbling the last part as she dragged her feet.

"You're going to miss your boyfriend until Kronos takes over and kills us all" Nico responded with a grin. That kid was too dark for his age.

"Shut up, Nico, you aren't helping" Annabeth reprimanded, although it was hardly effective because she was blushing and muttering. The head smack was scary though.

Lately rumors had been spreading around camp that Annabeth and I were dating. Sure, I loved Annabeth but that was in a best friend kind of way and that would just be weird since she was like a sister to me.

"We're here" Nico announced as we paused in front of a black river, the River Styx, polluted with the dreams that people had thrown away.

"Alright, so I just dive in?" I asked, clueless as to how this was meant to be done.

"NO!" Annabeth shouted quickly, "You idiot! If you did that, you would just burn up and die!"

"Alright, alright, so what do I do?"

She took a deep breath before saying "Imagine one spot on your body that would be your weakness and think of someone or something that will keep you tied to the mortal realm, one thing you would keep with you even if the entire world burned down."

My first thought went to my mom; I'd want her to survive the most. I choked at the thought of her not existing. If she hadn't been there in my life and I was stuck with Smelly Gabe, I was sure to have suicide before.

"Percy!" I heard Annabeth shout as I turned to find her right next to my ear.

"Yes?" I asked, confused as to when she got there and why.

"Are you going to jump in or not? You've been staring at it for the past five minutes now, thinking of someone... perhaps Annabeth?" Nico replied cheekily.

Annabeth was the last person on my mind right now but I was surprised to hear that much time had gone by so quickly. "No way" I said before jumping in.

The pain kicked in and believe me, it was one of the most painful experiences ever, similar to getting burning needles and getting stabbed repeatedly. And it felt like I was drowning. I know its lame because I'm a son of Poseidon who is the God of the seas and I can't drown but my biggest fear is actually drowning. I couldn't fight the pain and almost blacked out; I thought I was going to die. I was on the verge of blacking out when I heard a voice. _'Great, hallucinations as well, what a way to go'_ I thought sarcastically.

" _Perseus, grab on to the cord, think of your mortal point, you can't die yet"_ The voice called urgently. Slowly the pain cleared and I saw an auburn haired woman standing at the edge of the boat and laughing, her silver eyes twinkling with mirth. Artemis. Just looking at her made me feel weird, I felt happy, excited and nervous at the same time. She wore a simple, silver shirt with light blue jeans yet I knew there was no way even Aphrodite could beat Artemis' natural beauty.

"Come on, Percy, grab on" She called worriedly. The cord strengthened.

"How long are you going to stay in the water? Finally decided living your life as a fish would be better?" She asked before she burst out laughing at my expense.

I was still shocked as to what was going on but I climbed out of the water and in to the boat. "Ha ha very funny, comment on how I'm a fish because I'm a son Poseidon, like swimming and can breathe under water, SO original" I grumbled as I used my powers to dry myself. I was still shocked as to what was going on but I decided to go with the flow rather than waste my time with Artemis, it's not like I meet her often anyway. Yeah, so what if I have a crush on her, it's not like you don't have a crush, your just a pure, innocent soul aren't you?

"I-I'm sorry Percy but I... I have to do this." She said as she looked at me nervously before looking down and twiddled her fingers. A golden tint stained her freckled cheeks. "What?" I asked, surprised at the way she was acting. If one didn't know properly, they would have thought she was going to kiss me. She quickly leaned down to where I was sitting and pecked me on the lips before flashing out. I sat there staring at the spot she just vanished from and brought a hand to my lips. 'No way' I thought as I grinned stupidly.

Suddenly, the dream faded and the pain caused by the River Styx erupted through my veins again. I kicked my arms and legs as I aimed towards what I assumed to be the surface of the river.

"Shit," I yelled as I finally reached Nico and Annabeth. I looked up to find them looking back at me with worried expressions.

"Is there something on my face?" I asked as I quickly reached up to wipe off anything there.

"Percy, you're bright red, and it's been 2 hours since you went in there, do you know how worried I was? I thought you had died Percy! Oh my gods, do you know how hard it would be for me to break it to Chiron? Or worse yet, Sally and Poseidon! They would kill me if they knew I was with you and didn't help," Annabeth shouted hysterically before trying to hit me which led to her hand hurting.

I saw that I was slowly going back to my tan colour.

"Well at least it worked, and I'm not harmed" I said nonchalantly as I began to walk back out the way we came.

"One second, Percy," Nico said, causing me to stop, "What did you mean by your comment before you went in?" He questioned darkly.

"What? Oh that, don't worry about that and oh my, look at the time, we best scurry home before it gets dark, no time to stop and talk" I replied before fast walking away from the angry son of Hades.

"Stupid Percy... stupid curse...weak spot...endless torture" Annabeth muttered like a chant throughout the way back to camp. I ignored her as the vision of Artemis replayed itself over and over again. I could still feel her soft lips leaving a permanent imprint on me. I banged my head hard against the window to clear my head. 'There's no way that would happen in real life, it was just a dream, it's probably the stupid Fates were messing with me again' I thought sadly. Great, now I just made myself depressed, well done.

'Speaking of the old hags, I wonder what they planned for me now' I thought as I stepped out the van to find a lovely surprise, the Hunters were at camp.

"You have got to be kidding me, Artemis is here?" I grumbled before heading off to catch some sleep and definitely not to hide from the hunters. The dip really took a lot out of me.

 **That's the end of the first chapter, what did you think?I know it was short but that's because it's the first chapter, the others will be longer. Look forward to your reviews; it really helps me complete chapters faster. Are the characters OOC? Did the story progress too fast? Anything else seem too out of place? How can I improve it?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, I'm back with another chapter, I know, surprising but anyway, check out the story I'm writing with a few friends called Loving Chastity, it's a good story unlike this one but anyways...**

 **I got a review or two saying I should maintain Percy and Annabeth's friendship so this chapter is to show that along reaching the Kronos bit.**

 **Important question at the end of the chapter.**

Last time:

I ignored her as the vision of Artemis replayed itself over and over again. I could still feel her soft lips leaving a permanent imprint on me. I banged my head hard against the window to clear my head. 'There's no way that would happen in real life, it was just a dream, it's probably the stupid Fates were messing with me again' I thought sadly. Great, now I just made myself depressed, well done.

'Speaking of the old hags, I wonder what they planned for me now' I thought as I stepped out the van to find a lovely surprise, the Hunters were at camp.

"You have got to be kidding me, Artemis is here?" I grumbled before heading off to catch some sleep and definitely not to hide from the hunters. The dip really took a lot out of me.

Chapter 2

"Wake up, Seaweed Brain!" someone shouted before pouring freezing cold water over me. "Huh?" I asked groggily as I lifted my head to find Annabeth standing there grinning with an empty bucket in her hands.

"You know, I had thought you were smart," I commented as I collected all the water off of me and swirled it around Annabeth causing her to become drenched.

"Dry me right now!" She screeched, resembling the harpies at camp, which was quite amusing.

"No can do. You disturbed my beauty sleep," I replied with a smirk, deciding I could continue this for a bit longer.

"Percy...you know when we went to visit Sally... she gave me a few pictures and I don't think you want the rest of Camp to see, do you?" Annabeth asked with a huge smile plastered across her face.

I paled at the thought of that. I don't need people seeing Percy Jackson, age 3, sitting naked in the bathtub with his two rubber duckies and toy fish, splashing around like he was drowning. Oh no, they would never let me live peacefully after that. All my plans for the future destroyed because of one picture. Newspaper headlines: Mr. Jackson, top marine biologist, playing with Mr. and Mrs. Ducky and a few other friends. "Wait, I'll dry you, just don't show those pictures to anyone." I pleaded quickly as I moved every drop of water on her and put it on the salt water fountain in the middle of my cabin.

"Good boy, now I came to call you because Chiron was worried about you since you decided to sleep instead of going to him, and we have a head councillors meeting in 15 minutes" She reported before joyfully skipping out the cabin.

Sighing, I rolled out of bed and got ready, pulling on a neon orange t-shirt from the pile of clothes scattered across the floor and heading out.

LINEBREAK

"Good to see you, are you alright Percy?" Chiron inquired worriedly as he looked me over from head to toe, scanning me for any injuries. My dip in the Styx must have brought back memories of Achilles.

"Yeah, completely fine, don't worry," I assured but he still seemed wary, "Actually you know what, I'm better than alright since I'm invincible, Annabeth had me tested" I added which seemed to finally allow him to relax.

"Okay, but if anything happens, tell me right away," Chiron beseeched just as the other councillors entered the room along with the Hunters.

"Okay, everyone's here, let's start," Chiron announced before explaining the situation.

"Luke plans on attacking Olympus tomorrow night and I am appointing Percy as the leader for the campers." He paused to see if anyone had a problem with that. Seeing as no one did -which made me quite happy- he continued, "Alright, so we leave after lunch, we have forty campers that are willing to come along with the 30 Hunters. I shall try to convince my centaurs to also help but it will be difficult. Argus will take you to the Empire State building, you need to convince the gods to help you with this as Typhon is just a distraction and Kronos' main goal is Olympus, any questions?"

"Do we have numbers on how many we are facing and what we are facing?" Annabeth queried hesitantly. I REALLY didn't want to know the answer for that and judging by how everyone else mirrored my expression, they didn't want to either.

"We are unsure at the moment but we estimate approximately 500 monsters. We have heard of hellhounds, harpies, empousai, dracanae, cyclopses, giants, drakons and dragons." Chiron explained grimly.

"No way," I said, horrified at the thought and as I looked around the room, I found looks of disbelief and fear on every single camper and a few hunters.

"I'm sorry but it's true." Chiron asserted tightly, although it seemed as though he too didn't want to believe it.

"How are we dividing ourselves?" I asked. There were eight tunnels and bridges to enter the city which meant that we would have to divide ourselves in to eight groups.

Chiron pulled out a map and spread it on the ping-pong table, "Michael will lead the Apollo cabin towards Williamsburg Bridge, Katie can take the Demeter cabin to Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, Connor can lead half the Hermes cabin to Manhattan Bridge and Travis leads the other half to Brooklyn Bridge. I hope you understand how serious the situation is so you will NOT be detouring or stealing anything. Silena, take the Aphrodite cabin to Queen's-Midtown Tunnel, Jake, lead the Hephaestus cabin to Holland Tunnel, Annabeth, defend the Lincoln Tunnel with the Athena cabin and finally I want the Hunters at the 59th Street Bridge. Percy, you can go with the Aphrodite Cabin to Queen's-Midtown Tunnel, am I clear?" Chiron commanded, dividing us quickly.

"Yes sir!"

* * *

We entered the throne room to find it as extravagant as ever with the twelve empty thrones stood tall as they formed a U around the hearth. In the centre of the room floated a house-size globe of water in which Bessie swam happily.

"Mooo" the half-cow, half-serpent cried as he turned in a circle and faced us again.

I smiled sadly as I saw the Ophiotaurus. Two years ago, on our quest to save Artemis and Annabeth, I had found it. I still regret the deaths of Zoe and Bianca along with everyone else I could have saved. My hate towards Luke increased; if he hadn't been so stupid then all of them would still be alive. _It's your fault, you could have saved them_. I realized the voice in my head was correct. As much of a fault it was Luke, it was mine. If I had been stronger I could have saved them.

"It's not your fault, Percy." I heard a woman say. I turned towards the hearth to find Hestia in her adult form, tending to the hearth. She wore a simple brown dress that contrasted with the thrones behind her.

"Lady Hestia." I bowed.

Hestia regarded me with her red glowing eyes. "I see you went through with your plan. You bear the curse of Achilles."

The other campers started muttering among themselves: What did she say? What about Achilles?

"You must be careful," Hestia warned me. "You gained much on your journey. But you are still blind to the most important truth. Perhaps a glimpse is in order."

I stared into Hestia's eyes, and an image rushed into my mind: I saw a dark alley between red brick warehouses. A sign above one of the doors read RICHMOND IRONWORKS.

Two half-bloods crouched in the shadows—a boy about fourteen and a girl about twelve. I realized with a start that the boy was Luke. The girl was Thalia, daughter of Zeus. I was seeing a scene from back in the days when they were on the run, before Grover found them.

Luke carried a bronze knife. Thalia had her spear and shield of terror, Aegis. Luke and Thalia both looked hungry and lean, with wild animal eyes, like they were used to being attacked.

"Are you sure?" Thalia asked.

Luke nodded. "Something down here. I sense it."

A rumble echoed from the alley, like someone had banged on a sheet of metal. The half-bloods crept forward.

Old crates were stacked on a loading dock. Thalia and Luke approached with their weapons ready. A curtain of corrugated tin quivered as if something were behind it.

Thalia glanced at Luke. He counted silently: One, two, three! He ripped away the tin, and a little girl flew at him with a hammer.

"Whoa!" Luke said.

The girl had tangled blond hair and was wearing flannel pajamas. She couldn't have been more than seven, but she would've brained Luke if he hadn't been so fast.

He grabbed her wrist, and the hammer skittered across the cement.

The little girl fought and kicked. "No more monsters! Go away!"

"It's okay!" Luke struggled to hold her. "Thalia, put your shield down. You're scaring her."

Thalia tapped Aegis, and it shrank into a silver bracelet. "Hey, it's all right," she said. "We're not going to hurt you. I'm Thalia. This is Luke."

"Monsters!"

"No," Luke promised. "But we know all about monsters. We fight them too."

Slowly, the girl stopped kicking. She studied Luke and Thalia with large intelligent gray eyes.

"You're like me?" she said suspiciously.

"Yeah," Luke said. "We're . . . well, it's hard to explain, but we're monster fighters. Where's your family?"

"My family hates me," the girl said. "They don't want me. I ran away."

Thalia and Luke locked eyes. I knew they both related to what she was saying.

"What's your name, kiddo?" Thalia asked.

"Annabeth"

Luke smiled. "Nice name. I tell you what, Annabeth—you're pretty fierce. We could use a fighter like you."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "You could?"

"Definitely," Luke turned his knife and offered her the handle. "How'd you like a real monster-slaying weapon? This is Celestial bronze. It works a lot better than a hammer."

Maybe under most circumstances, offering a seven-year-old kid a knife would not be a good idea, but when you're a half-blood, regular rules kind of go out the window.

Annabeth gripped the hilt.

"Knives are only for the bravest and quickest fighters," Luke explained. "They don't have the reach or power of a sword, but they're easy to conceal and they can find weak spots in your enemy's armor. It takes a clever warrior to use a knife. I have a feeling you're pretty clever."

Annabeth stared at him with adoration. "I am!"

Thalia grinned. "We'd better get going, Annabeth. We have a safe house on the James River. We'll get you some clothes and food."

"You're . . . you're not going to take me back to my family?" she said. "Promise?"

Luke put his hand on her shoulder. "You're part of our family now. And I promise I won't let anything hurt you. I'm not going to fail you like our families did us. Deal?"

"Deal!" Annabeth said happily.

"Now, come on," Thalia said. "We can't stay put for long!"

The scene shifted. The three demigods were running through the woods. It must've been several days later, maybe even weeks. All of them looked beat up, like they'd seen some battles. Annabeth was wearing new clothes—jeans and an oversize army jacket.

"Just a little further!" Luke promised. Annabeth stumbled, and he took her hand. Thalia brought up the rear, brandishing her shield like she was driving back whatever pursued them. She was limping on her left leg.

They scrambled to a ridge and looked down the other side at a white Colonial house—May Castellan's place.

"All right," Luke said, breathing hard. "I'll just sneak in and grab some food and medicine. Wait here."

"Luke, are you sure?" Thalia asked. "You swore you'd never come back here. If she catches you—"

"We don't have a choice!" he growled. "They burned our nearest safe house. And you've got to treat that leg wound."

"This is your house?" Annabeth said with amazement.

"It was my house," Luke muttered. "Believe me, if it wasn't an emergency—"

"Is your mom really horrible?" Annabeth asked. "Can we see her?"

"No!" Luke snapped.

Annabeth shrank away from him as though his anger surprised her.

"I . . . I'm sorry," he said. "Just wait here. I promise everything will be okay. Nothing's going to hurt you. I'll be back—"

A brilliant golden flash illuminated the woods. The demigods winced, and a man's voice boomed: "You should not have come home."

"What was that?" I asked as the vision shut off.

"What was what?" Annabeth questioned curiously. I'm guessing I was the only one that saw it.

"Nothing," I said as I turned back towards Hestia. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Annabeth looking at me suspiciously. She wasn't the only one as I found others doing the same.

"Lady Hestia, we have come to request for the gods assistance, Kronos plans on attacking Olympus today." I pleaded, ignoring the others. I'd deal with them later.

"We cannot do that, you already know that the gods are battling against Typhon." A voice came from behind Hestia. The air shimmered and man came out. He had salt-and-pepper hair and mischievous look on his face although his eyes said otherwise. He held a staff in his hands.

"Lord Hermes." I bowed again.

"Hello, Percy." His brow furrowed as though he was annoyed with me, or because he was stressed due to the battle against Typhon. I wanted to ask why he'd been in May Castellan's house that night, and what had happened after he caught Luke. I remembered the first time I'd met Luke at Camp Half-Blood. I'd asked him if he'd ever met his father, and he'd looked at me bitterly and said he had met him once. But I could tell from Hermes's expression that this was not the time to ask.

"My lord," Annabeth said. "Kronos is going to attack New York. You must suspect that. Are the gods blind?"

Thunder rolled through the sky. Sure I'm rude and disrespectful towards them but even I knew that was too far.

"I'd watch the comments, girl," Hermes warned. "We have not left Olympus completely undefended. Anyways, I have come as a messenger from the rest of the gods," He said tiredly and turned towards Annabeth. "Your mother says to try plan twenty-three, whatever that means, and Percy," He turned towards me, "Athena says to remember the rivers and... to stay away from her daughter. Artemis also tells the Hunters to listen to Percy if he isn't acting like a... stupid male" before flashing out.

"Alright, looks like we're on our own guys. Let's head back down." I said as I headed out, trying not to panic about the fact that we had to face Kronos alone.

LINEBREAK

"What happened to all the people?" I asked, panicking as we got out the elevator to find it completely silent and humans lying everywhere.

 _And see the world in endless sleep._ I froze as the line from the prophecy rang in my ears.

"They're unconscious but alive." Michael Yew, a son of Apollo, said as he crouched beside one of them. I let out a sigh of relief. I remembered Grover saying he met Morpheus at Central Park.

"Guys, get ready the invasion is about to begin." I warned them.

"Percy, we're leaving, 59th Street Bridge is really far and it might take some time to climb the bridge, good luck and don't die!" Thalia said before rushing down the street with twenty-nine other girls dressed in silver attire. I sympathized for the monsters trying to come from there.

"Um... Percy? I think the enemy is coming in from the water as well." Someone reported from the crowd. I turned towards the rivers and saw demigods decked in full battle armor heading our way in speedboats with Kronos' flag flapping in the wind; A black scythe on a purple background.

"Shit, change in plans, Aphrodite cabin, can you defend the tunnel yourself?" I asked quickly, my mind going into overdrive.

"We'll need to stop by at the stores to collect a few items then but yes, we can." They replied enthusiastically.

"Okay, once I'm done with the monsters in the water, I'll catch up." I stated before looking at all the campers. All of them were grim and determined. I tried not to feel like this was the last time I'd ever see them all together.

"You're the greatest heroes of this millennium," I told them. "It doesn't matter how many monsters come at you. Fight bravely, and we will win." I raised Riptide and shouted, "FOR OLYMPUS!"

They shouted in response, and our forty voices echoed off the buildings of Midtown. For a moment it sounded brave, but it died quickly in the silence of ten million sleeping New Yorkers.

"Good luck out there Percy, don't die on me." Annabeth whispered quietly to me.

"Likewise"

With that we went in our respective directions, mine being the New York Harbor.

"Hey!" I yelled as I reached the floor of the polluted water body. Seriously, even the Styx wasn't this polluted and that's where all broken dreams are dumped so that's saying something. I then continued to do what I do best, insult powerful bodies. In a matter of seconds, thanks to my amazing insults, two giant forms materialized in front of me.

The creature on the left looked disturbingly like a telkhine. His face was wolfish. His body was vaguely like a seal's—sleek black with flipper hands and feet. His eyes glowed radiation green.

The dude on the right was more humanoid. He was dressed in rags and seaweed, with a chain-mail coat made of bottle caps and old plastic six-pack holders. His face was blotchy with algae, and his beard was overgrown. His deep blue eyes burned with anger.

"Alright, I've got a sand dollar here and I need to get rid of the monsters attempting to come from the water." I said suggestively. It took a minute but they realized what I was getting at.

"Consider it done." They both said at once.

"Hey, I said it first!"

"No! I did!"

"Guys! There's no need to fight, I'll just give both of you half, IF you get rid of all of Kronos' forces" I said as I held out the halves.

"Oh, man," Hudson whimpered, reaching out for the sand dollar. "It's been so long since I was clean."

"The power of Poseidon," East River murmured. "He's a jerk, but he sure knows how to sweep pollution away."

They looked at each other, and then spoke as one: "It's a deal."

"Um, the invaders?" I prompted.

East flicked his hand. "They just got sunk."

Hudson snapped his fingers. "Like they never even existed."

"Alright, see you later" I said as I swam back to the surface. I found Annabeth was standing there, looking around worriedly with talking on the phone.

"Annabeth? What are you doing here?" I shouted from the water.

"Percy! It's not good, Michael called from Williamsburg Bridge, another army is coming and it's being led by the Minotaur." she yelled as her eyes landed on me. The Minotaur. It was the first monster I had ever faced and I still had nightmares from four years ago when it nearly killed my mother. My fight with it was going to be personal.

"Shit, alright, I'll go through the East River, you can go back to support the campers at the tunnel." I told her as I dived back in to the water, using my powers to propel me forward.

As I crossed Manhattan Bridge, I saw Connor, along with half the Hermes cabin slowly defeating the monsters with items like tiny bombs but mostly sticking to the hit-and-run style they were famous for.

As I finally reached Williamsburg Bridge, I could see it really wasn't going well. The enemy had taken over half the bridge and the Apollo cabin had been reduced to a single line while the rest were on the floor, injured, or healing the others, they had put away their bows and switched to close-combat weapons. I quickly made my way to them, forming a plan as I went.

"Apollo cabin! Move off the bridge, I have an idea!" I called out as I gathered my power. As they quickly retreated with the sleeping mortals, I raised my arms, tonnes of water rising from the river at the same time. I quickly pushed it towards the monsters, sweeping them off their feet and into the water.

"Woah, that was so cool!" The Apollo cabin cheered but it wasn't over yet. Sure, the monsters had been wiped off, but that was only the weak ones. The Apollo campers whipped out their bows and began firing with newfound enthusiasm.

I whipped out Riptide and charged towards the group of confused monsters. I hacked, slashed, ducked and jumped, becoming a whirlwind of blood as I tore through their ranks. As midnight came, we had completely pushed them off the bridge as their numbers fell from hundreds to tens.

"Percy! Stop, we've taken over the bridge, you're going too far!" Annabeth called out. I knew she was right but at the moment I was on a roll and I didn't want to stop. I wanted to kill every monster alive.

"Moo!" A voice roared over the crowd. I paused to look for the source and finally found the Minotaur. Unlike last time, he was ten feet tall and wore armor on his upper half. He also carried an axe about the same height as him on his back, not that he wielded it, he just smashed into everything with his enormous head. Behind him were about a hundred more monsters.

"Hey, Beef Boy, you're back?" I taunted and judging by him snorting in my direction and charging at me, it worked. I quickly pushed off a hellhound and stabbing it before turning to the Minotaur. More monsters were coming but the Minotaur roared, signaling them to back off.

"How was your trip to Tartarus? You didn't call or text." I continued, angering him further. He pulled his axe of his back and reared it back, ready to swing in a downwards arc. I quickly sidestepped to the right and went for his waist. The Minotaur couldn't move fast enough and took the hit. He made a wide swing with his axe once more but I stepped back, causing him to lose his footing because of the momentum of the axe. I entered inside his reach and swung my sword but old meathead decided that the axe was getting in his way and switched to his hands, making a grab for my body. I slashed at his meaty hands, hardly cutting through his thick flesh. Deciding to do this the painful way, I moved back so he could charge at me and did a baseball slide through his legs, making sure he could never have children as I castrated him. I heard multiple 'ouch' from the campers as the useless organ fell to the floor. I then climbed on to his back and broke off both his horns before stabbing both of them through his throat. He turned in to dust.

"YEAH! That's what I'm talking about!" Michael shouted before taking a spot behind a fallen car and shooting at the monsters.

"Well done, Percy Jackson, I see you have frown stronger." An ancient voice spoke. I felt a chill down my spine. Three guesses who that was.

 **Yes, I know there was no Artemis but like I said, I need to keep Annabeth and Percy's friendship so Artemis will only come after 2 chapters but I'll try to make it worthwhile.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I know, I know, I'm sorry I'm late, just found a good fanfic and started a new game so I lost track of time. Also started two new stories with other authors that you can find on my profile.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson**

Last time:

"YEAH! That's what I'm talking about!" Michael shouted as the Minotaur disintegrated, before taking a spot behind a fallen car and shooting at the remaining monsters.

"Well done, Percy Jackson, I see you have grown stronger." An ancient voice spoke. I felt a chill down my spine. Three guesses who that was.

Chapter 3

"Kronos." I growled as I turned to find him mounted on a horse and holding up his banner. His eyes shone like molten gold.

The Apollo campers faltered. The monsters we'd been pursuing reached the Titan's line and were absorbed into the new force. Kronos gazed in our direction. He was a quarter mile away, but I swear I could see him smile.

"Now," I said, "we pull back."

The Titan of Harvest's men drew their swords and charged. The hooves of their skeletal horses thundered against the pavement. Our archers shot a volley, bringing down several of the enemy, but they just kept riding.

"Retreat!" I told my friends. "I'll hold them.'"

In a matter of seconds they were on me.

"Come on Percy!" They called urgently as Kronos' cavalry swirled around me, attempting to kill me so as to please their lord.

I tried to wound his men, not kill. That slowed me down, but these weren't monsters. They were demigods who'd fallen under Kronos's spell. I couldn't see faces under l heir battle helmets, but some of them had probably been my friends. I slashed the legs off their horses and made the skeletal mounts disintegrate. After the first few demigods took a spill, the rest figured out they'd better dismount and fight me on foot.

I tuned in to my battle instincts and maimed any that came close. Finally, Kronos himself had arrived. He dismounted with his scythe in his hand, grinning like a madman.

"You're dead, demigod." he snarled as he brought his scythe down upon me.

"Not yet." I replied as I met his strike mid-way. The bridge shook at impact but I stayed steady.

"I see you too bathed in the Styx. No matter, I'll just hit every inch of your body until I find your mortal point and kill you, as for me, I can just reform." Kronos threatened as he used his powers to slow me down. Even with my invincible body, I felt the force of the weapon as it hit my shoulder. The force pushed cars and demigods off the bridge and in to the freezing river below. I skid back a few metres before falling on my knees. The campers had managed to retreat to the other side. As I a saw suspension cords flying crazily, an idea formed in my head. I slammed Riptide in to the broken road and called upon my powers over the earth. I had never used them before but I thought why not? After all, Poseidon WAS the Earthshaker so that should give me power over the land. The ground rumbled before half the bridge broke off, leaving the evil farmer and his men on the other side.

The Titan lord studied the problem. He looked behind him at the rising sun, then smiled across the chasm. He raised his scythe in a mock salute. "Until this evening, Jackson."

He mounted his horse, whirled around, and galloped back to Brooklyn, followed by his warriors.

I turned to look at what remained of the Apollo cabin. About ten to fifteen were missing and the rest were injured. Now was not the time to grieve, Kronos could attack any minute. "Okay everyone, we are making the Empire State Building our base, head over there now." I commanded as they nodded and got up.

The Aphrodite cabin was nearby so I decided to check on them first. As I arrived, I found the tunnel was covered in pink smoke and outside were a dozen kids smiling. I guess they handled it better than I thought they would. I repeated my command to head to the Empire State Building before swimming to the next nearest location; the Hunters.

"Hunters, shield yourselves!" one of them called out before a single arrow was launched. It detonated on impact, killing about a hundred monsters.

"Roar!" A monster with the size of a pickup truck stood there, it's metallic golden fur and silver claws glinting in the sunlight. The Nemean Lion. Another monster I had defeated in the past. It was ironic that I was with the Hunters last time as well.

"Thalia! Can you help me take down the kitty?" I shouted to the hunter perched on the top of the bridge's tower.

"Alright, Phoebe, we need your help as well." She replied as she called another hunter as well.

"The weak spots are it's eyes and mouth. I'll try to get it's mouth while you try to get arrows through it's brain via eyes, sound fine?" I explained before heading off.

"Here, kitty! Would you like some more astronaut food?" I taunted as it turned towards me. It growled before attempting to pounce on me. It had gotten faster and judging by the craters in the bridge, stronger as well. Silver arrows shot it from behind me, causing it to turn to the source. Multiple arrows sprouted out of it's eyes. As it roared in pain, I quickly stabbed it in it's mouth. The cycle continued over and over again with the other hunters covering us from the rest of the monsters. Finally, with one final thrust, the monster was sent to Tarturus. The lion wasn't the only one of my old enemies here. I had found a new hunter being silently approached by three Laistrygonian Giants: Joe Bob, Skull Eater and Marrow Sucker.

"You aren't getting her that easily!" I cried as I quickly ran up to them and managed to kill one before they could turn around. The other two jumped back and pulled out their cannonballs, throwing them at me with deadly accuracy. I slowly closed in on them which made them switch from cannonballs to wooden clubs. Luckily, they weren't skilled with the weapon and I destroyed the sticks before they could touch me. Finally defenceless, I easily killed them as well. I observed and found other hunters in similar situations and saved the lives of twenty hunters. Bonus points with Artemis, yes! We quickly finished off the monsters before heading back.

* * *

The demigods had taken over the entire first ten floors of the Empire State Building when I had arrived. There were thirty wounded campers out of which two were in a really bad condition, Michael and Annabeth. Michael hadn't been able to move off the bridge when I destroyed it and Annabeth had taken a poisoned dagger for a fellow camper. I quickly apologized to Michael for causing him to get injured and headed off to an empty room to get to sleep. The battles had taken a lot out of me. Of course, since I was a demigod, I couldn't sleep peacefully as I had demigod dreams which are usually shown for a reason.

 _Three old ladies dressed in white robes and sat in a dark cave around a campfire. Between them was a thread which the one on the left spun, the one in the middle measured and the last one cut. They reminded me of the old ladies back at the fruit stand when I used to go to Yancy Academy, a lifetime ago. "Perseus Jackson" they said creepily as one voice. Apparently, they knew me too and they could interact with me._

 _"Um... Who are you and what am I doing here?" I asked hesitantly._

 _"We are referred to as the Morai, or the Fates, the primordial goddesses of destiny, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos,"They began, still speaking as one. "As to why you are here, we have summoned you here as you play a great role in the future and so we have decided to give you the chance to have a glimpse of the possible future." They explained as they cut the string and moved on to the next cord._

 _"What? Again? I'm already part of a huge prophecy right now!" I complained before realizing who I was talking to. Even Zeus didn't defy the Fates._

 _"Sorry, there's just a lot on my mind right now." I said quickly, trying not to get them on my bad side._

 _"So would you like to view your fate?" They asked, ignoring my non-stop rambling._

 _I stayed silent as I thought it about it for a minute. What harm could knowing the future do, right? If anything, it would help us out. "Alright, I would like to." I replied._

 _"Close your eyes, we'll do what's required and remember, this is only one of the possible futures" They said as they started muttering words quickly in a language I couldn't understand._

 _I obliged and the area suddenly switched from the cave to a forest. Running through the trees was the Goddess of Hunt. She appeared to be alone before I spotted a black shadow beside her. I squinted at the figure before reeling back in shock, it was me! After recovering, I continued to watch and I realized we were either running from something or chasing after it. Knowing Artemis, it was most likely the latter. In a while, we stopped in an open clearing and examined the area. I guess my hypothesis was wrong about someone or something else being involved. My future self set up two tents before settling down to start a fire. Meanwhile, Artemis had gone to catch some food. After we finished what looked like a bear for dinner, Artemis had whipped out her two hunting knives and came at me. I was once again surprised when future me pulled out two knives of his own. We sparred for a while before Artemis kicked me to the ground and quickly sat on me, pinning my arms above my head. 'First the Styx and now this? What is going on?' I thought as I saw the goddess lean down and kiss me/him. Oh, I can't wait for the future._

 _A wave of darkness washed over us and the scene changed._

 _A blonde boy with sky blue eyes and close cropped hair stood at the front of what looked like an army of him. Beside him was a beautiful Native American girl who had choppy, uneven hair and had thin strands braided down on the sides. Her eyes seemed to change colour like a kaleidoscope, going from brown to blue to green. Next was a short, elf-like guy with curly, black hair, pointy ears and an impish smile across his face. It was then what looked like a sixteen year old Annabeth and I followed by an huge Asian dude with a close-cropped black hair and a dark-skinned girl with curly shoulder-length hair and golden eyes. In front of the seven of them were the Olympians and three feminine beings I didn't recognise, all of which were facing a larger army of monsters led by twelve Giants ranging from twelve feet to fifty feet tall. Behind the army was a twenty foot tall woman. She had porcelain white skin, brown hair that resembled tangled roots and solid green eyes._

 _It then moved on to show the war take place, the gods fighting the Giants along with one of their kids while the rest of the demigods tore through the monsters' ranks. The woman at the back had her hands raised as she muttered chants and spells to raise more monsters to take the place of the fallen so not matter how many fell, they didn't reduce but the same couldn't be said about the demigods. Although they used all of their demigod powers, it was not match for the never-ending monsters. I saw that the giants were slowly being defeated by the gods and their champions before moving on to the monsters. The giant woman at the back suddenly raised her hands higher before slamming them on the ground, causing an earthquake which brought all the demigods tumbling down. As if that wasn't enough, a wave of earth then flew towards them until not a single being could be seen except the earth lady._

 _'I couldn't believe it, that was how we were all going to die?' I thought as I returned back to the cave._

 _"Did you see that? That woman just killed all the gods and demigods with one sweep of her hand! How is that possible? And-" I asked the Fates wide-eyed before being interrupted. If they knew that was how it was going to end, why didn't they say anything to us?_

 _"Perseus Jackson, we do not now the final outcome of this battle that may or may not come, we just showed you something that could happen. Now go back, you have a war to win." They said as their auras flared._

 _'Great, so my vision of Artemis was just fake.' I thought as I felt my dream-self lift off the ground._

* * *

I lurched up as soon as I returned back to my body, causing a tray to fall.

"Percy, you're awake!" I heard Annabeth shout as I swivelled my head to find the blonde with a tray that had held what looked like a bowl of soup on the floor.

"Good morning." I said as I yawned before remembering where we were and what was going on. I sat up, disoriented. The bed was too comfortable, and I hated sleeping in the middle of the day.

"Percy, come quickly!" Annabeth hurriedly replied before leaving the room.

"What's up?" I inquired but she had already gone too far ahead. I quickly got up and caught up to her, wondering why she was in such a rush.

"Percy," she said. "Come on. It's late afternoon. We've got visitors."

"Visitors?" I asked.

Annabeth nodded grimly. "A Titan wants to see you, under a flag of truce. He has a message from Kronos."

"Titan!?" I said, shocked. Kronos and truce had just been used in the same sentence.

"Yes Percy, now come along, before he decides it was an easy way to get in to the city and starts wrecking the place."

 **LINEBREAK (the rest of this is from canon, just replacing a few stuff and making it sound a little better so it fits my story. Those who don't remember what happens can read it)**

Four figures approached, a thirty foot tall Hypoborean Giant with bright blue skin and icy grey hair, a demigod in armour, an empousa demon in a black dress and flaming red hair along with a tall man in a tuxedo. The man in the tux, who I assume is the Titan, stepped forward.

"Percy Jackson," he said in a silky voice. "It's a great honor."

His lady friend the empousa hissed at me. She'd probably heard how I'd destroyed two of her sisters last summer.

"My dear," Tux Dude said to her. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable over there, eh?"

She released his arm and drifted over to a park bench.

I glanced at the armed demigod behind Tux Dude. 1 hadn't recognized him in his new helmet, but it was my old backstabbing buddy Ethan Nakamura. His nose looked like a squashed tomato from our fight on the Williamsburg Bridge. That made me feel better.

"Hey, Ethan," I said. "You're looking good."

Ethan glared at me.

"To business." Tux Dude extended his hand. "I am Prometheus."

I was too surprised to shake. "The fire-stealer guy? The chained-to-the-rock-with-the-vultures guy?"

Prometheus winced. He touched the scratches on his face. "Please, don't mention the vultures. But yes, I stole fire from the gods and gave it to your ancestors. In return, the ever merciful Zeus had me chained to a rock and tortured for all eternity."

"But—"

"How did I get free? Hercules did that, eons ago. So you see, I have a soft spot for heroes. Some of you can be quite civilized."

"Unlike the company you keep," I noticed.

I was looking at Ethan, but Prometheus apparently thought I meant the empousa.

"Oh, demons aren't so bad," he said. "You just have to keep them well fed. Now, Percy Jackson, let us parley."

He waved me toward a picnic table and we sat down. Annabeth stood behind me.

The blue giant propped his white flag against a tree and began absently playing on the playground. He stepped on the monkey bars and crushed them, but he didn't seem angry. He just frowned and said, "Uh-oh." Then he stepped in the fountain and broke the concrete bowl in half. "Uh-oh." The water froze where his foot touched it. A bunch of stuffed animals hung from his belt—the huge kind you get for grand prizes at an arcade. He reminded me of Tyson, and the idea of fighting him made me sad.

Prometheus sat forward and laced his fingers. He looked earnest, kindly, and wise. "Percy, your position is weak. You know you can't stop another assault."

"We'll see."

Prometheus looked pained, like he really cared what happened to me. "Percy, I'm the Titan of forethought. I know what's going to happen."

"Also the Titan of crafty counsel," Annabeth put in. "Emphasis on crafty."

Prometheus shrugged. "True enough, daughter of Athena. But I supported the gods in the last war. I told Kronos: 'You don't have the strength. You'll lose.' And I was right. So you see, I know how to pick the winning side. This time, I'm backing Kronos."

"Because Zeus chained you to a rock," I guessed.

"Partly, yes. I won't deny I want revenge. But that's not the only reason I'm supporting Kronos. It's the wisest choice. I'm here because I thought you might listen to reason."

He drew a map on the table with his finger. Wherever he touched, golden lines appeared, glowing on the concrete. "This is Manhattan. We have armies here, here, here, and here. We know your numbers. We outnumber you twenty to one."

"Your spy has been keeping you posted," I guessed.

Prometheus smiled apologetically. "At any rate, our forces are growing daily. Tonight, Kronos will attack. You will be overwhelmed. You've fought bravely, but there's just no way you can hold all of Manhattan. You'll be forced to retreat to the Empire State Building. There you'll be destroyed. I have seen this. It will happen."

I thought about the picture Rachel had drawn in my dreams—an army at the base of the Empire State Building. I remembered the words of the young girl Oracle in my dream: I foresee the future. I cannot change it. Prometheus spoke with such certainty it was hard not to believe him.

"I won't let it happen," I said.

Prometheus brushed a speck off his tux lapel. "Understand, Percy. You are refighting the Trojan War here. Patterns repeat themselves in history. They reappear just as monsters do. A great siege. Two armies. The only difference is, this time you are defending. You are Troy. And you know what happened to the Trojans, don't you?"

"So you're going to cram a wooden horse into the elevator at the Empire State Building?" I asked. "Good luck with that."

Prometheus smiled. "Troy was completely destroyed, Percy. You don't want that to happen here. Stand down, and New York will be spared. Your forces will be granted amnesty. I will personally assure your safety. Let Kronos take Olympus. Who cares? Typhon will destroy the gods."

"Right," I said. "And I'm supposed to believe Kronos would spare the city."

"All he wants is Olympus," Prometheus promised. "The might of the gods is tied to their seats of power. You saw what happened to Poseidon once his undersea palace was attacked."

I winced, remembering how old and decrepit my father looked.

"Yes," Prometheus said sadly. "I know that was hard for you. When Kronos destroys Olympus, the gods will fade. They will become so weak they will be easily defeated. Kronos would rather do this while Typhon has the Olympians distracted in the west. Much easier. Fewer lives lost. But make no mistake, the best you can do is slow us down. The day after tomorrow, Typhon arrives in New York, and you will have no chance at all. The gods and Mount Olympus will still be destroyed, but it will be much messier. Much, much worse for you and your city. Either way, the Titans will rule."

Annabeth pounded her fist on the table. "The campers will fight to our last breath. Percy, you're not seriously going to listen to this slimeball, are you?"

I figured Prometheus was going to blast her, but he just smiled. "Your courage does you credit, Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth stiffened. "Don't try to play mind games with me, titan"

"As you wish," Prometheus said casually, but I could tell he'd gotten to her. Annabeth was usually strong willed but one compliment not related to Athena and she could become putty in your hands.

"At any rate," the Titan said, "you need not be my enemy. I have always been a helper of mankind."

"That's a load of bullshit," Annabeth said. "When mankind first sacrificed to the gods, you tricked them into giving you the best portion. You gave us fire to annoy the gods, not because you cared about us."

Prometheus shook his head. "You don't understand. I helped shape your nature."

A wiggling lump of clay appeared in his hands. He fashioned it into a little doll with legs and arms. The lump man didn't have any eyes, but it groped around the table, stumbling over Prometheus's fingers. "I have been whispering in man's ear since the beginning of your existence. I represent your curiosity, your sense of exploration, your inventiveness. Help me save you, Percy. Do this, and I will give mankind a new gift—a new revelation that will move you as far forward as fire did. You can't make that kind of advance under the gods. They would never allow it. But this could be a new golden age for you. Or . . ." He made a fist and smashed the clay man into a pancake.

The blue giant rumbled, "Uh-oh." Over at the park bench, the empousa bared her fangs in a smile.

"Percy, you know the Titans and their offspring are not all bad," Prometheus said. "You've met Calypso."

My face felt hot. "That's different."

"How? Much like me, she did nothing wrong, and yet she was exiled forever simply because she was Atlas's daughter. We are not your enemies. Don't let the worst happen," he pleaded. "We offer you peace."

I looked at Ethan Nakamura. "You must hate this."

"I don't know what you mean."

"If we took this deal, you wouldn't get revenge. You wouldn't get to kill us all. Isn't that what you want?"

His good eye flared. "All I want is respect, Jackson. The gods never gave me that. You wanted me to go to your stupid camp, spend my time crammed into the Hermes cabin because I'm not important? Not even recognized?"

He sounded just like Luke when he'd tried to kill me in the woods at camp four years ago. The memory made my hand ache where the pit scorpion had stung me.

"Your mum's the goddess of revenge," I told Ethan. "We should respect that?"

"Nemesis stands for balance! When people have too much good luck, she tears them down."

"Which is why she took your eye?"

"It was payment," he growled. "In exchange, she swore to me that one day I would tip the balance of power. I would bring the minor gods respect. An eye was a small price to pay."

"Great mum."

"At least she keeps her word, unlike the Olympians. She always pays her debts—good or evil."

"Yeah," I said. "So I saved your life, and you repaid me by raising Kronos. That's fair."

Ethan grabbed the hilt of his sword, but Prometheus stopped him.

"Now, now," the Titan said. "We're on a diplomatic mission."

Prometheus studied me as if trying to understand my anger. Then he nodded like he'd just picked a thought from my brain.

"It bothers you what happened to Luke," he decided. "Hestia didn't show you the full story. Perhaps if you understood . . ."

The Titan reached out.

Annabeth cried out a warning, but before I could react, Prometheus's index finger touched my forehead.

Suddenly I was back in May Castellan's living room. Candles flickered on the fireplace mantel, reflected in the mirrors along the walls. Through the kitchen doorway I could see Thalia sitting at the table while Ms. Castellan bandaged her wounded leg. Seven-year-old Annabeth sat next to her, playing with a Medusa beanbag toy.

Hermes and Luke stood apart in the living room.

The god's face looked liquid in the candlelight, like he couldn't decide what shape to adopt. He was dressed in a navy blue jogging outfit with winged Reeboks.

"Why show yourself now?" Luke demanded. His shoulders were tense, as if he expected a fight. "All these years I've been calling to you, praying you'd show up, and nothing. You left me with her." He pointed toward the kitchen like he couldn't bear to look at his mother, much less say her name.

"Luke, do not dishonor her," Hermes warned. "Your mother did the best she could. As for me, I could not interfere with your path. The children of the gods must find their own way."

"So it was for my own good. Growing up on the streets, fending for myself, fighting monsters."

"You're my son," Hermes said. "I knew you had the ability. When I was only a baby, I crawled from my cradle and set out for—"

"I'm not a god! Just once, you could've said something. You could've helped when"—he took an unsteady breath, lowering his voice so no one in the kitchen could overhear—"when she was having one of her fits, shaking me and saying crazy things about my fate. When I used to hide in the closet so she wouldn't find me with those . . . those glowing eyes. Did you even care that I was scared? Did you even know when I finally ran away?"

In the kitchen, Ms. Castellan chattered aimlessly, pouring Kool-Aid for Thalia and Annabeth as she told them stories about Luke as a baby. Thalia rubbed her bandaged leg nervously. Annabeth glanced into the living room and held up a burned cookie for Luke to see. She mouthed, Can we go now?

"Luke, I care very much," Hermes said slowly, "but gods must not interfere directly in mortal affairs. It is one of our Ancient Laws. Especially when your destiny . . ." His voice trailed off. He stared at the candles as if remembering something unpleasant.

"What?" Luke asked. "What about my destiny?"

"You should not have come back," Hermes muttered. "It only upsets you both. However, I see now that you are getting too old to be on the run without help. I'll speak with Chiron at Camp Half-Blood and ask him to send a satyr to collect you."

"We're doing fine without your help," Luke growled. "Now, what were you saying about my destiny?"

The wings on Hermes's Reeboks fluttered restlessly. He studied his son like he was trying to memorize his face, and suddenly a cold feeling washed through me. I realized Hermes knew what May Castellan's mutterings meant. I wasn't sure how, but looking at his face I was absolutely certain. Hermes understood what would happen to Luke someday, how he would turn evil.

"My son," he said, "I'm the god of travelers, the god of loads. If I know anything, I know that you must walk your own path, even though it tears my heart."

"You don't love me."

"I promise I . . . I do love you. Go to camp. I will see that you get a quest soon. Perhaps you can defeat the Hydra, or steal the apples of Hesperides. You will get a chance to be a great hero before . . ."

"Before what?" Luke's voice was trembling now. "What did my mom see that made her like this? What's going to happen to me? If you love me, tell me."

Hermes's expression tightened. "I cannot."

"Then you don't care!" Luke yelled.

In the kitchen, the talking died abruptly.

"Luke?" May Castellan called. "Is that you? Is my boy all right?"

Luke turned to hide his face, but I could see the tears in his eyes. "I'm fine. I have a new family. I don't need either of you."

"I'm your father," Hermes insisted.

"A father is supposed to be around. I've never even met you. Thalia, Annabeth, come on! We're leaving!"

"My boy, don't go!" May Castellan called after him. "I have your lunch ready!"

Luke stormed out the door, Thalia and Annabeth scrambling after him. May Castellan tried to follow, but Hermes held her back.

As the screen door slammed, May collapsed in Hermes's arms and began to shake. Her eyes opened—glowing green—and she clutched desperately at Hermes's shoulders.

"My son," she hissed in a dry voice. "Danger. Terrible fate!"

"I know, my love," Hermes said sadly. "Believe me, I know."

The image faded. Prometheus pulled his hand away from my forehead.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked. "What . . . what was that?"

I realized I was clammy with sweat.

Prometheus nodded sympathetically. "Appalling, isn't it? The gods know what is to come, and yet they do nothing, even for their children. How long did it take for them to tell you your prophecy, Percy Jackson? Don't you think your father knows what will happen to you?"

I was too stunned to answer.

"Percy," Annabeth warned, "he's playing with your mind. Trying to make you angry."

Knowing her, she probably studied reading emotions, so she probably knew Prometheus was succeeding.

"Do you really blame your friend Luke?" the Titan asked me. "And what about you, Percy? Will you be controlled by your fate? Kronos offers you a much better deal."

I clenched my fists. As much as I hated what Prometheus had shown me, I hated Kronos a lot more. "I'll give you a deal. Tell Kronos to call off his attack, leave Luke Castellan's body, and return to the pits of Tartarus. Then maybe I won't have to destroy him."

The empousa snarled. Her hair erupted in fresh flames, but Prometheus just sighed.

"If you change your mind," he said, "I have a gift for you."

A Greek vase appeared on the table. It was about three feet high and a foot wide, glazed with black-and-white geometric designs. The ceramic lid was fastened with a leather harness.

Annabeth gasped. "That's not—"

"Yes," Prometheus said. "You recognize it."

Looking at the jar, I felt a strange sense of fear, but I had no idea why.

"This belonged to my sister-in-law," Prometheus explained. "Pandora."

A lump formed in my throat. "As in Pandora's box?"

Prometheus shook his head. "I don't know how this box business got started. It was never a box. It was a pithos, a storage jar. I suppose Pandora's pithos doesn't have the same ring to it, but never mind that. Yes, she did open this jar, which contained most of the demons that now haunt mankind—fear, death, hunger, sickness."

"Don't forget me," the empousa purred.

"Indeed," Prometheus conceded. "The first empousa was also trapped in this jar, released by Pandora. But what I find curious about the story—Pandora always gets the blame. She is punished for being curious. The gods would have you believe that this is the lesson: mankind should not explore. They should not ask questions. They should do what they are told. In truth, Percy, this jar was a trap designed by Zeus and the other gods. It was revenge on me and my entire family—my poor simple brother Epimetheus and his wife Pandora. The gods knew she would open the jar. They were willing to punish the entire race of humanity along with us."

I thought about my dream of Hades and Maria di Angelo. Zeus had destroyed an entire hotel to eliminate two demigod children—just to save his own skin, because he was scared of a prophecy. He'd killed an innocent woman and probably hadn't lost any sleep over it. Hades was no better. He wasn't powerful enough to take his revenge on Zeus, so he cursed the Oracle, dooming a young girl to a horrible fate. And Hermes . . . why had he abandoned Luke? Why hadn't he at least warned Luke, or tried to raise him better so he wouldn't turn evil?

Maybe Prometheus was toying with my mind.

But what if he's right? part of me wondered. How are the gods any better than the Titans?

Prometheus tapped the lid of Pandora's jar. "Only one spirit remained inside when Pandora opened it."

"Hope," I said.

Prometheus looked pleased. "Very good, Percy. Elpis, the Spirit of Hope, would not abandon humanity. Hope does not leave without being given permission. She can only be released by a child of man."

The Titan slid the jar across the table.

"I give you this as a reminder of what the gods are like," he said. "Keep Elpis, if you wish. But if you decide that you have seen enough destruction, enough futile suffering, then open the jar. Let Elpis go. Give up Hope, and I will know that you are surrendering. I promise Kronos will be lenient. He will spare the survivors."

I stared at the jar and got a very bad feeling. I figured Pandora had been completely ADHD, like me. I could never leave things alone. I didn't like temptation. What if this was my choice? Maybe the prophecy all came down to my keeping this jar closed or opening it.

"I don't want the thing," I growled.

"Too late," Prometheus said. "The gift is given. It cannot be taken back."

He stood. The empousa came forward and slipped her arm through his.

"Morrain!" Prometheus called to the blue giant. "We are leaving. Get your flag."

"Uh-oh," the giant said.

"We will see you soon, Percy Jackson," Prometheus promised. "One way or another."

Ethan Nakamura gave me one last hateful look. Then the truce party turned and strolled up the lane through Central Park, like it was just a regular sunny Sunday afternoon.

 **Okay, that's the end of this chapter. I know more than half of it is copied from the canon but it was required for the story to continue. From the next chapter, I'm drifting away from it.**

 **Also, since I started on other stories, I can't update this story weekly but I'll try to post whenever I can. I am not ending this and I will post at least once in a month. Review! It really helps me write faster and I was thinking could you guys comment on how I can improve the story since that also helps my writing.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, yes, I know this chapter is late but I have a valid excuse(s).**

 **laptop broke down so I couldn't write.**

 **2\. I had no Internet and before you suggest it, no, I don't have libraries nearby.**

 **3\. College started.**

 **4\. I MIGHT have been too lazy/forgot that I had a story...**

 **Anyways... I've been told that I'm going too fast (even this part is kinda irrelevant) so I'll try to slow down.**

 **Apparently, it also sounds like I'm trying to hard and my writing seems forced so I'll work on that.**

 **I think I'll finish off the battle and the last book for PJO in this chapter so we can quickly move to the good part, Pertemis! Can't wait! Anyways, that was a long A/N, I'll carry on with the story now.**

* * *

Last time:

Prometheus stood. The empousa came forward and slipped her arm through his.

"Morrain," he called to the blue giant. "We are leaving. Get your flag."

"Uh-oh," the giant said.

"We will see you soon, Percy Jackson," Prometheus promised. "One way or another."

Ethan Nakamura gave me one last hateful look. Then the truce party turned and strolled up the lane through Central Park, like it was just a regular sunny Sunday afternoon.

Chapter 4

"Hey, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth called out tentatively as we entered the building again.

I stopped and turned around to face her. "Yes?" I asked. I was pretty sure I handled that situation properly.

"What happened when he touched your head? You suddenly became still for a second before going back to normal." She inquired worriedly. I knew there was no way I could lie my way through this, it would just result in me getting in to more trouble. But I was still hesitant as to whether I should tell her or not as I knew she had feelings for Luke and was considering joining the Titan army just to be with him.

"When he touched my head? Oh right, I was just given a memory of the past that I don't remember seeing before, nothing to worry about." I replied quickly. I was quite proud of myself for thinking that on the spot but then I saw Annabeth's expression and realized she had seen through it.

Oh shit, I was in SO much trouble right now, I was ready to fight Kronos again rather than face her wrath.

"Percy...are you telling me the truth? Is that everything that happened?" Annabeth whispered threateningly. A chill went down my spine at that tone.

Wait a minute, I'm safe! I'm safe! Oh thank the gods she didn't find out!

"Yeah, it was a memory of the distant past, I don't know why he showed it to me either, it didn't involve me at all." I answered, lying while saying the truth at the same time, no harm done.

I am a genius! I might just be like a son of Athena after all.

But anyways, back to the matter on hand. I still had a suspicious daughter of Athena to deal with right now which was currently staring at me as if she was trying to calculate the best way to take me down in a fight or torture me until I tell her everything.

"Percy... if you are lying to me right now, Kronos isn't the one you have to be worrying about, do you understand?" She growled as her stormy grey eyes bore into mine, trying to get any information she possibly could. Yeah, I won't last at this rate, I have to tell her.

"No, wait, wait, wait! I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" I said quickly, saving myself from the angry woman. I was serious when I said I'd rather fight Kronos again then deal with Annabeth. At least he was stupider... more stupid, Annabeth can kill me with maths. And so I explained about how I saw her in the past where she looked about seven years old and was at Luke's house with him and Thalia, how I saw Luke talking to Hermes and finally him getting angry and leaving with them.

"Yes, I sort of remember that, not about Luke talking to Hermes though, as you said, I was too busy stuffing food in to my mouth. So can you tell me why you would hide this from me?" She asked menacingly.

I will give sacrifice half my food to you at my next meal, just please help me! Anyone! I'm about to die here! Hell, I'll give you three-fourths!

"Oh, right, yeah, about that, um... it's just that-" I started off before the door banged open and in came a breathless satyr who was holding on to the door frame so he didn't collapse. He was about Grover's age I think, he had the same size horns and stuff so yeah... probably. Don't know about satyrs though.

Thank you so much whoever you are!

"You have to come quickly Percy! It's Kronos, he decided to attack now! He's heading from south of Central Park!" The satyr said as he pushed his curly brown hair to the side. I could see how scared he was at it reflected in his bright blue eyes. Great, the big bad bully was finally here.

"Alright, I'll go, Annabeth stay with the rest of the campers." I instructed as I turned to leave.

"Percy, do you want me to beat you before him?" She asked stubbornly as she quickly picked up her dagger. I didn't have time to deal with this. I grabbed my sword and left to rally our troops with Annabeth at my heels.

"They're coming," Thalia confirmed, pointing north with a silver arrow. "One of my scouts just reported they've crossed the Harlem River. There was no way to hold them back. The army…" She shrugged. "It's huge."

"We'll hold them at the park," I said. "Grover, you ready?"

He nodded. "As ready as we'll ever be. If my nature spirits can stop them anywhere, this is the place."

"Then let's do it," I said. "Good luck everybody, we're going to win this!"

We heard the army before we saw it.

The noise was like a cannon barrage combined with an American football stadium crowd—like every Patriots fan in New England was charging us with bazookas.

At the north end of the reservoir, the enemy vanguard broke through the woods—a warrior in golden armour leading a battalion of Laistrygonian giants with huge bronze axes. Hundreds of other monsters poured out behind them.

"Positions!" Annabeth yelled.

Her cabinmates scrambled. The idea was to make the enemy army break around the reservoir. To get to us, they'd have to follow the trails, which meant they'd be marching in narrow columns on either side of the water.

At first, the plan seemed to work. The enemy divided and streamed toward us along the shore. When they were halfway across, our defences kicked in. The jogging trail erupted in Greek fire, incinerating many of the monsters instantly. Others flailed around, engulfed in green flames. Athena campers threw grappling hooks around the largest giants and pulled them to the ground.

In the woods on the right, the Hunters sent a volley of silver arrows into the enemy line, destroying twenty or thirty dracaenae, but more marched behind them. A bolt of lightning crackled out of the sky and fried a Laistrygonian giant to ashes, and I knew Thalia must be doing her daughter of Zeus thing.

Grover raised his pipes and played a quick tune. A roar went up from the woods on both sides as every tree, rock, and bush seemed to sprout a spirit. Dryads and satyrs raised their clubs and charged. The trees wrapped around the monsters, strangling them. Grass grew around the feet of the enemy archers. Stones flew up and hit dracaenae in the faces.

The enemy slogged forward. Giants smashed through the trees, and naiads faded as their life sources were destroyed. Hellhounds lunged at the timber wolves, knocking them aside. Enemy archers returned fire, and a Hunter almost fell from a high branch before she caught herself.

"Percy!" Annabeth called as she pointed towards the back of the army. A Titan in gold armour strode through the monsters, taking huge steps towards us with a lazy smile spread across his face.

A camper threw a Greek fire explosive in his direction but it was proven to be pointless when the Titan just raised a hand and absorbed the flames.

"Shit, I'm assuming that's Hyperion? You know, the flashy fire dude..." I asked hesitantly. I'm pretty sure that was correct but it could be Oceanus for all I know, best to just ask Athena or her kids.

"Yeah, the lord of light and Titan of the East, Hyperion." Annabeth answered as she stared in awe. This was not good, I had to keep her on our side, Luke can be very persuasive.

"Okay, a Titan. I've beaten a god before how hard could it be?" I laughed nervously. There was no way I could do this, these guys were stronger than the gods and I only beat one of them because I was underestimated and had a lot of luck on my side. That's when I spotted it. The Reservoir. He was standing right beside it, perfect, I might have a chance now.

"Yo, Hyperion! Over here!" I shouted out to him as I rushed over there. The Titan slowly looked around before his eyes landed on me. He smiled. That wasn't good.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little hero, here to challenge me is it?" He taunted as he pulled his flaming red sword out from its seven-foot sheath around his waist. My eyes widened at that. This may be a LITTLE bit harder than I thought. I ignored it as I focused on lacing my powers through the giant water body behind the ignorant Titan. Slowly, I managed to make it rise up and out of its container.

"What's wrong? Scared? I would be surprised if you weren't." He continued before lunging at me with inhumane speed and power. The pull in my gut tightened as I forced the water to come faster and harder until Hyperion launched himself at me with inhumane speed and power. I had almost dropped it all back down but I managed to hold on as I quickly yanked Riptide's cap off and blocked his strike. A boom sounded as the two weapons connected, and the ground sunk in a little at my feet. If I wasn't invincible and had used a regular blade, my body would have folded in half by now before being cut in to two.

"Ah, yes, I heard you took a dip in the Styx recently." He said as he reared his sword back for another crushing blow at me. This was taking way too long, stupid water wouldn't stay still as I gathered the rest and tried to move it as one huge water body towards myself. BOOM. Another crazy strong blow landed on my sword. My arms rang at that. I don't know how much longer I could take this.

Suddenly, the Titan smirked as he lowered his sword a little. I looked at him warily, confused as to what he was trying to do. Then, all of a sudden, he shone brightly as his entire body heated up and burst into flames, blinding me and everyone around me. He was probably using his power over light along with it to make himself a miniature sun.

"Shit!" I cried as I brought my hands up to cover my eyes. This was bad. He could attack me any second and I couldn't do anything to defend myself since I couldn't see! I pulled on the water as hard as I could and doused the Titan in it, effectively cancelling out his move as he fell to a knee and moaned at the pain. Seeing the opportunity, I quickly shifted on to the offensive and danced around him, jumping around swiftly and nimbly, stabbing through the gaps in his thick armour before he could recover.

"You're dead, you stupid piece of sh-" he started before I cut him off.

"Yes, yes, I get it, you're angry that I splashed you with water but let's be honest here, you really needed it, I don't even want to know when you last had a bath." I said cockily. I knew I shouldn't but I had a chance and I had to take it. Plus, he would just become clumsy now while he tried to hit me so...yeah, I should be excused.

Hyperion resembled a fire hydrant as he shouted something I couldn't make out before jumping at me again. We quickly entered a dance of swords once more. I sidestepped a vertical slash before aiming for his shin which he easily blocked before swinging his sword at my feet. I jumped back and waited for his next attack as I tried to look for an opening quickly. I was sweating already whilst Hyperion was grinning and hadn't broken a sweat. Doing a quick scan, I found something I could use. The Titan came at me once more and I parried. We locked swords and were stuck in a stalemate; it was now a test of strength. There was no way I could win using normal methods but hanging out with Annabeth had taught me to make plans. I collected the water on the road and split it in to tiny needles before releasing them in to the chinks on his armour.

"Ahh! You brat! You think you can win against me?! Think again!" Hyperion roared before burning brightly once more and attacking me while I couldn't see him. I waved my sword blindly in front of me, trying to defend myself miserably. CRACK. The sound of me hitting the floor was heard even over the war cries of the hundreds of monsters. My head was going round in circles and I felt like puking after that. Slowly, I got up, using Riptide for support rubbing my eyes to get rid of the spots. I kept looking down so I wasn't blinded again and ran towards where I thought he was.

CRACK

The sound once again rung out as I went flying through the air before crashing in to a building. If not for my enhanced demigod body along with Achilles Curse, I'd be monster food a long time ago. Cursing, I got up once more with the help of Riptide but decided to wait for the Titan to come to me. Manipulating the water from the reservoir so that it formed a thin layer 30 feet around me, I waited to feel or hear a disturbance in it as I spread my divine power through it.

There! I turned to my left and pulled my sword up just in time to block a super strong blow. 'This might just work' I thought optimistically as I blocked another Titan powered blow. With the water instantly healing me, I was practically immortal right now. I felt like nothing could stop me. Of course, as soon as I thought that, things started going downhill.

"Hmm, pretty smart for a child of that worthless sea god, huh? Using the water to locate me even while you can't see." Hyperion mused as he jumped out the water.

'Shoot, that was fast!' How'd he figure it out so quickly?' I pondered as I tried to make another plan. Suddenly, he came right in front of my face before whacking me with the flat of his sword once more.

'What the heck? (I don't know why people use Hades, it sounds...lame, just because he's the god of the underworld?) How did he get here without me realizing it? He didn't touch the water.' I thought as I went sailing through the air once more and landed in an undignified heap against a pile of rubbish. Hyperion appeared in front of me by the time I managed to open my eyes and this continued until he finally stopped to laugh at my pitiful state.

"Stupid demigod, you've got years of training left to do before you can even think of facing us. Pathetic." He spat before going back to his normal state and turning his back to me as he headed towards the rest of the demigods.

There was no way I was letting him touch them while I was still alive. With that thought, I brought the water to myself and doused myself in it, instantly rejuvenating me. I got up, dusted myself and struck the overconfident Titan with everything I had. I took a runup before jumping on to his back before driving a water coated Riptide through his neck and twisting it.

"AHH! YOU FU-" Hyperion roared before going silent in shock for a second as I pulled Riptide out and stabbed his throat, cutting off his Adam's Apple while I was at it. It was a pretty gruesome scene as blood poured out and I looked away as I jumped off the Titan's back as he clutched his neck desperately. Slowly, he turned around and looked at me and his golden eyes which were wide with shock narrowed down and went red either because he was about to burst into tears or because he was angry. There was a high chance it was the latter. I quickly jumped out of his reach and watched to see what'd happen.

Hyperion raised his finger and pointed at me as his face morphed into one showing pure hatred and he opened his mouth to say something before abruptly he fell to the floor.

'Do they disappear like monsters or will he just lie down there until he's moved?' I wondered curiously before a hole opened up, swallowed the Titan and closed again, leaving no sign of its appearance. 'That looks...fun' I thought as I surveyed the on going war. I couldn't tell which side was winning but it looked like both sides had lost a significant amount. At least the monsters reformed, the campers on the other hand… Percy felt sick at the loss of all those people. How many had family waiting for them at home? Adrenaline rushed through his veins at that thought and he rushed into the chaos.

(All that Hades stuff happens, not relevant, yep, I'm a terrible author, I know)

TIMESKIP - Olympus

As the elevator doors dinged and opened, the four of us - Thalia, Grover, Annabeth and I - quickly rushed out. Olympus was a wreck. The once white and gold mansions that made mortal palaces look small were now charred and half broken with fire coming out of most of them. The destruction traced till the base of the mountain.

"Jump!" Grover shouted as he leaped on to the next stepping stone, causing ours to turn.

Oh no, Thalia was scared of heights. I turned to her and found she was paler than a child of Hades. I quickly held on to her shoulders and turned her so she was facing me. "It's alright Thalia, just jump...or we fall down there…" Percy assured as he muttered the last part quietly. I looked at Annabeth and nodded. 3, 2, 1, we all jumped together when the invisible countdown reached 0. Annabeth's foot landed on the edge of the rock before slipping.

"HELP!" She shouted desperately as her arms were waving in the air, trying to find something to grab on to. I quickly grabbed on to her, on the edge of the rock myself. "Percy, pull me up!" She pleaded.

And here I was planning on letting us stay like this instead…

I tugged at her arms as hard as I could but she didn't move at all. I would've asked Thalia for help but she couldn't reach Annabeth since she was too far down. I wasn't going to let go though. No, Annabeth was my friend, I wouldn't let her die like this.

Suddenly, the earth rumbled violently. The first stepping stone disappeared and so did Annabeth as I lost my grip on her.

Athena's going to kill me…

"Shit, we can't do anything about that now Percy, we have to go, Olympus is disappearing!" Thalia shouted and she jumped on to the next stone, and the next, and the next till she reached the island of the gods in the sky. I quickly followed after her.

As we ran through the winding roads of Olympus, we saw evidence of battle; broken armours, weapons and ripped clothing.

Continuing through the mess, we neared Kronos and his army. "Tear it down, brick by brick!" They chanted loudly and continued to tear down buildings and burn the once beautiful gardens.

"Faster!" I shouted out to Thalia and Grover as I pushed my legs to their limits. I was going faster than a child of Hermes somehow but I didn't question it as I caught up to Kronos as he tore the throne room doors down with his scythe.

I gasped at the sight of the beautiful gold doors ripped through the middle and half hanging on a single hinge but carried on running towards him, Thalia and Grover far behind me now. This was going to destroy my legs when the adrenaline died down.

"Kronos!" I yelled at the titan, my voice reverberating through the empty room.

He stopped and turned around, scythe in hand and a maniacal grin spread across Luke's face. The gold eyes shining in glee. "We meet again, Perseus Jackson." He greeted.

"Yes, always a pleasure to see my wonderful grandfather." I replied sarcastically. I know I shouldn't but I had a chance to mock him so I had to take it.

"Quite confident, aren't we?" Kronos smiled, a slight twitch the only sign of annoyance shown.

Percy twirled his sword around as Thalia and Grover entered the room. "Percy!" They panted as they stood on shaky legs and drew their own weapons.

"Thalia, Grover...if Annabeth was here instead of Percy, it could've been just like the old days… Us 3 against the world...remember that? We used to share such a close bond together...let's go back to those times? We were a family…" Luke whispered persuasively. I could tell it was working by the glazed look in Thalia's eyes.

She took a hesitant step towards him. "Luke...you're still in there…" She said quietly as she picked up her pace.

"Yeah...Thalia, help me...I...I was wrong." He replied, opening his arms out to her.

"Luke!" She yelled as she ran towards him as fast as her tired legs could carry her. I watched in horror as she hugged him and his eyes flashed gold.

"Thalia!" I yelled, desperate to get her away from the manipulative Titan of evil. I tried to get to her but the adrenaline had worn off and I collapsed on the floor.

She ignored me and carried on hugging him and burying her face in his chest. Luke, or rather, Kronos pulled out Backbiter in sword form and stabbed it into her side, smirking as she fell. It didn't last long as his face paled and he looked down.

* * *

 **A cliffhanger~**

 **Not really since everyone knows what's gonna happen but was that slow enough? Been so long since I wrote, my writing style seems like it changed too but that's probably just me. Anyway, go ahead and review.**

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